On Wabasha Street, there’s been quite a coup.
Unhappy with a proposed bicycle loop, representatives of a wide range of businesses say they’ve ousted the leadership of their business and residents’ association, Wabasha Partners, and elected building owner Jim Crockarell to chair their meetings.
See Video: Crockarell speaks
The city’s 1.7-mile downtown bike loop proposal has yet to be finalized, but whatever its final configuration, it is expected to entail removing up to 150 on-street parking spots and replacing them with sidewalk-level bike paths.
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A Jan. 13 meeting organized by art gallery owner Bill Hosko drew father-daughter property managers Jim and Cheryl Kelly, downtown property owner Dave Brooks, representatives of the Church of Scientology and about 14 additional members. They were unanimous in their support of Crockarell, who owns 16 buildings downtown, including the Lowry Hotel.
See Video: Coup leaders ask how to stop bike path
The group said at the time they were alarmed by the possibility of the city’s proposed bicycle loop running down Wabasha Street at the cost of on-street parking, an idea that had been embraced by Wabasha Partners’ previous leadership.
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With Crockarell at the helm, Wabasha Partners plans a follow-up meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday on the 16th floor of the U.S. Bank Center.
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Ken Avidor's drawing of a December, 2014 CapitolRiver Council meeting on the downtown bike plan
But former chair Tony Bol isn’t backing down. He has renamed the remaining loyalists the Wabasha Action Group, or WAG. Under the subject line “Change,” Bol alerted “neighbors and friends of Wabasha Street” in a group email on Friday that WAG’s leadership team is composed of 8-to-10 business and civic representatives committed to their vision of a more vibrant Wabasha Street.
Bol, the former manager of Minnesota Public Radio’s Fitzgerald Theater, described WAG’s leadership team as being comprised of representatives of Wells Fargo Place, McNally-Smith School of Music, Ecolab, the St. Paul Port Authority, St. Paul Smart Trips, the Minnesota Children’s Museum and the St. Paul mayor’s office.
Noting that the bike loop is just one of many potential projects, Bol said members of the group formerly known as Wabasha Partners have been meeting for three years, and are “dedicated to finding funds and working with collaborative partners towards serious improvements” in the once-thriving business district.
Dave Brooks just said, sarcastically, that the bike loop should be heated... — FredMelo, Reporter (@FrederickMelo) January 13, 2015
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